One of 2015’s most exciting television events will hit the airwaves tonight—and it’s not an episode of Modern Family or a football game. At the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, 11 of America’s most famous politicians will engage in a political showdown that could possibly alter the course of United States history.

It’s likely that most high school students would immediately brush off the idea of watching tonight’s GOP Debate as boring or a waste of time entirely. However, what some might fail to realize is the sheer importance of staying informed about politics—no matter how distant it may seem to a teenager, the decisions made in Washington D.C. are what has shaped our country into what it is today and are highly pertinent to the quality of the lives of every American citizen.

Many students likely wouldn’t realize just how fun watching the debate could be. Watching the 11 candidates argue onstage—a likely occurrence given the high tension at the August 6^th debate—could be surprisingly entertaining to even the most reluctant student viewer. More liberal-leaning students might get a kick out of watching an inevitable candidate screw-up, and conservative ones would easily enjoy cheering on their favorite contender.

Other than even the immense value of being an informed voter, many students too fail to realize the many daily benefits of being well-informed about all sides of American politics. Knowledge of political happenings and events in the U.S., even at a basic level, serves as a surefire conversation-starter. The specific field of GOP candidates this election cycle—which most notably features billionaire entertainer Donald Trump—is easy fodder for an interesting conversation that traverses party lines.

Tonight’s GOP Debate will be broadcasted on CNN at 9 P.M., and will feature the top 11 polling candidates out of the Republican Party– the second in a series of contests that will ultimately aid in determining the Republicans’ 2016 nominee. Candidates Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich will all duke it out onstage in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in hopes of becoming the country’s next Commander-in-Chief.

Politics oftentimes gets a bad rap among students, lambasted as boring, irrelevant, or entirely corrupt. Such attitudes are clearly eminent in the registered voter percentages for 18-24 year olds: the lowest they’ve been in almost 50 years. It’s possible, however, that switching the channel to CNN tonight could change perceptions—every vote counts, and it’s important that as many as possible are cast with the utmost knowledge about platforms on both sides of the aisle.